Turbine wheel



March 28, 1967 J. v. YOST 3,311,344

TURBINE WHEEL Filed Dec. 8, 1964 Fig.2

Fig. 4

John I/. Yes? i N V [IN TOR United States Patent 3,311,344 TURBINE WHEEL John V. Yost, 2233 Riverside, Trenton, Mich. 49084 Filed Dec. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 416,723 Claims. (Cl. 253-3915) This invention relates to a novel and useful turbine wheel and more specifically to a turbine wheel primarily designed for the purpose of withstanding higher temperatures.

The amount of power which may be delivered by a turbine wheel of the type driven by combustion exhaust products is limited, to a great extent, to the maximum temperatures which can be withstood by the turbine wheel. Accordingly, if a turbine wheel can be constructed in a manner so as to withstand higher temperatures, the power output of a turbine of a given size may be proportionately increased.

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide a turbine wheel constructed in a manner enabling it to withstand higher combustion product temperatures.

Another object of this invention, in accordance with the immediately preceding object, is to provide a turbine wheel including internal passages disposed in good heat transfer relation with the pockets or blades of the turbine wheel whereby coolant fluids may be caused to pass through the passages and thus quickly dissipate excessive temperatures to which the turbine blades or pockets are heated.

Yet another object of this invention, in accordance with the immediately preceding object, is to provide a turbine wheel including internal cooling fluid passage means constructed in a manner whereby rotation of the turbine wheel will create a pumping action on the cooling fluid within the turbine wheel to cause a rapid flow of cooling fluid through the turbine wheel.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a turbine wheel in accordance with the immediately preceding object including pumping means for pumping the coolant fluid through the turbine wheel without the use of any portions of the turbine wheel being mounted for movement relative to each other.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide an improved turbine wheel in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and automatic in operation so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively troublefree in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the improved turbine wheel of the instant invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 33 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 44 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral 10 generally designates the turbine wheel of the instant invention which may be seen to best advantage in FIGURE 2 of the drawings as comprising a pair of axially separable turbine wheel sections generally referred to by the reference numerals 12 and 14.

The turbine wheel sections 12 and 14 are quite similar in general configuration. The section 14 includes a generally cylindrical portion 16 having one end wall 18 from whose center an internally threaded neck portion 20 projects. The neck portion 20 projects outwardly of the end wall 18 and is adapted to be threadedly engaged with a suitable journaled and externally threaded water conduit section. In addition, the section 14 includes a peripheral flange 22 which is suitably apertured as at 24 at points spaced circumferentially thereabout.

The section 12 also includes a generally cylindrical portion 26 and an end wall portion 28 defining a plurality of spaced blade portions 30 defining a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially and circumferentially open pockets 32. In addition, the end wall 28 also includes an outwardly projecting and internally threaded neck portion 34.

The section 12 includes a circumferential flange 36 corresponding to the circumferential flange 22 which is suitably apertured as at 38 and a plurality of fasteners 40 are utilized to secure the flanges 22 and 36 together with a resilient sealing ring 42 disposed between the confronting surfaces of the flanges and received in confronting annular grooves 44 and 46 formed in the sections 12 and 14.

In this manner, the sections 12 and 14 are secured together with the individual cavities 48 and 50 defined thereby confronting each other and forming a single central cavity 52 in the turbine wheel 10.

From FIGURES 24 of the drawings it may be seen that the end wall 28 includes a plurality of generally radially extending ribs 54 which project axially from the inner surface of the end wall 28 and terminate at their radial innermost ends in alignment with the internal surfaces of the neck 34 defining the inlet opening 56.

The ends of the vanes 54 remote from the end wall 28 include coplanar edge portions to which a generally circular partition plate is secured by means of a plurality of suitable fasteners 62 secured through the partition plate 60 and threadedly engaged in threaded blind bores 66 formed in the vanes 54 and opening outwardly'through the coplanar edges thereof remote from the end wall 28. The cavities 48 and 5t and the partition plate 60 therefore define a tortuous passage for cooling fluid to flow through the turbine wheel 10 and the vanes 54 ensure that the cooling fluid entering the inlet 56 will be spun radially outwardly of the axis of rotation of the turbine wheel 16 with the cooling fluid being rotated about the axis of rotation of the turbine 10 at approximately the same speed as the turbine wheel. In this manner, the cooling fluid will be forced to the outer peripheral portions of the central cavity 52 by means of centrifugal force and inasmuch as the cavity 50 is not vaned, the cooling fluids entering into the cavity 50 may begin to slow down and thus rotate at a slower speed than the turbine wheel 10 to have a greater pumping effect on the cooling fluid on the side of the partition 60 on which the vanes 54 are disposed and therefore a flow of cooling fluid through the turbine wheel 10 in the direction of the arrows in FIGURE 2 of the drawings. Inasmuch as the turbine wheel 10 is constructed in a manner so as to cause a rapid flow of fluid therethrough combustion exhaust products at higher temperatures may be directed upon the blades of the turbine wheel 10 without the turbine wheel 10 being excessively heated and therefore the power output capacity of the turbine wheel 10 is greatly increased.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A turbine wheel including a pair of axially separable sections joined together, at least one of said sections defining a generally circular concentric recess opening axially toward the other section and defining a central cavity in said wheel between the opposite sides thereof, said sections including means defining centrally disposed inlet and outlet openings opening into said cavity, generally circular partition means disposed in said cavity intermediate its opposite ends and between said openings and including outer peripheral portions spaced inwardly of corresponding portions of the outer periphery of said central cavity, said partition means being supported from at least one of said sections and defining, together with said sections, a tortuous passage communicating said inlet and outlet openings, the portion of said cavity disposed between the end of said cavity through which the inlet opening opens and the opposing side of said partition means having generally radially extending and circumferentially spaced vanes disposed therein stationarily supported from one of said sections and the portion of said cavity on the other side of said partition means being free of such radially extending vanes, said turbine wheel including outer turbine blades mounted on said wheel in good heat transfer relation with at least some portions of the inner surfaces of said sections defining said cavity.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said vanes project axially into said cavity from the adjacent end of said cavity.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said partition means is supported from the adjacent edge portions of said vanes.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said adjacent edge portions of some of said vanes have blind threaded bores formed therein, and fasteners secured through said partition and threadedly engaged in said blind threaded bores removably securing said partition to said vanes.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said turbine blades are defined by circumferentially opening blind pockets formed in the outer side face of one of said sections.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said blind pockets also open radially outwardly of said wheel.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said sections each define a generally cylindrical cavity opening axially thereof, said sections being removably secured together with said cavities opening toward each other to form said central cavity.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein said blades and partition means define individual generally radial passages opening inwardly into said central cavity.

9. A turbine wheel including a pair of axially separable sections joined together, at least one of said sections defining a generally circular concentric recess opening axially toward the other section and defining a central cavity in said wheel between the opposite sides thereof, said sections including means defining centrally disposed inlet and outlet openings into said cavity, generally circular partition means disposed in said cavity intermediate its opposite ends and between said openings and including outer peripheral portions spaced inwardly of corresponding portions of the outer periphery of the central cavity, said partition means being supported from at least one of said sections and defining, together with said sections, a tortuous passage communicating said inlet and outlet openings, one of said sections, on its outer side face, including generally axially projecting and radially extending turbine blades thereon in axial registry with said cavity and in direct heat transfer relation with the inner surface portions of said one section defining the corresponding axial end of said cavity, said blades being hollow throughout major portions of their axial and radial extent and opening inwardly into said central cavity, one of said sections including a plurality of circumferentially spaced and generally radially extending vanes projecting axially into said cavity.

19. The combination of claim 9 wherein the section from which said partition means is supported and the section on which said blades are disposed comprise the same section.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,364,279 12/1944 I Dodge. 2,369,795 2/1945 Planiol et al. 2,393,963 2/1946 Berger 253-39.15 2,555,924 6/1951 Faber 253-.39.15 2,779,565 1/1957 Bruckmann 253-3915 2,973,938 3/1961 Alford 25339.15

FOREIGN PATENTS 975,892 11/ 1964 Great Britain.

472,839 1/ 1951 Italy.

195,736 7/ 1938 Switzerland.

MARTIN P. SCHWADRON, Primary Examiner.

EVERETTE A. POWELL, JR., Examiner. 

1. A TURBINE WHEEL INCLUDING A PAIR OF AXIALLY SEPARABLE SECTIONS JOINED TOGETHER, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SECTIONS DEFINING A GENERALLY CIRCULAR CONCENTRIC RECESS OPENING AXIALLY TOWARD THE OTHER SECTION AND DEFINING A CENTRAL CAVITY IN SAID WHEEL BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, SAID SECTIONS INCLUDING MEANS DEFINING CENTRALLY DISPOSED INLET AND OUTLET OPENINGS OPENING INTO SAID CAVITY, GENERALLY CIRCULAR PARTITION MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID CAVITY INTERMEDIATE ITS OPPOSITE ENDS AND BETWEEN SAID OPENINGS AND INCLUDING OUTER PERIPHERAL PORTIONS SPACED INWARDLY OF CORRESPONDING PORTIONS OF THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID CENTRAL CAVITY, SAID PARTITION MEANS BEING SUPPORTED FROM AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SECTIONS AND DEFINING, TOGETHER WITH SAID SECTIONS, A TORTUOUS PASSAGE COMMUNICATING SAID INLET AND OUTLET OPENINGS, THE PORTION OF SAID CAVITY DISPOSED BETWEEN THE END OF SAID CAVITY THROUGH WHICH THE INLET OPENING OPENS AND THE OPPOSING SIDE OF SAID PARTITION MEANS HAVING GENERALLY RADIALLY EXTENDING AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED VANES DISPOSED THEREIN STATIONARILY SUPPORTED FROM ONE OF SAID SECTIONS AND THE PORTION OF SAID CAVITY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID PARTITION MEANS BEING FREE OF SUCH RADIALLY EXTENDING VANES, SAID TURBINE WHEEL INCLUDING OUTER TURBINE BLADES MOUNTED ON SAID WHEEL IN GOOD HEAT TRANSFER RELATION WITH AT LEAST SOME PORTIONS OF THE INNER SURFACES OF SAID SECTIONS DEFINING SAID CAVITY. 